Jungle Boy
by rerhaine21
Summary: "How do you understand what the animals were saying?" Luffy tilted his head and turned to look at the road again, his left arm snaking around Zoro. "I really don't know." Luffy replied finally. "I just heard voices in my head and somehow I know it's them." Voice of all things.' Robin thought, smile creeping on her lips. – ZoLu Hint


_**Warning:** ZoLu Hint because I still in love with them. :) _

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece. _

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_**Jungle Boy**_

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Traipsing in the visible trail, Luffy let his eyes wander around. They just docked at island and he decided that he was going to explore alone (dammit, I'm captain! coupled with his puppy dog eyes and that seal the deal). After assuring Zoro that yes, he going to be okay, no, he not get himself eaten couple with a kiss and hug, his first mate begrudgingly let him go. Thank the gods. Because as much as he'd love Zoro, he going to threw a temper tantrum if every move he made there's someone constricting him.

The place was a Jungle Island without a civilization because according to Robin, the animals that lives here were monstrous and vicious, which was confirmed by him, Zoro and Sanji. They feel the power radiating from the said island. It also had a huge trees that towers over them with thick shades that providing a cool atmosphere to walk through. Luffy feels familiar with a forest, it must be because it's remind of the place where he trained for two years so he kind of feels at home about the island. The danger of the island was also reason why Zoro, who made it habit to accompany him, didn't want to leave him. Sanji, Nami, Robin and Franky leave the ship also, looking for supply because the next island were weeks away, thus its leave Zoro, Usopp, Chopper and Brook to guard the ship.

Humming to himself, he didn't notice there's something blocking the road until he'd tripped into it. Cursing, he picked himself up and turned to look at the blasted thing. Eyes widening, he continued to stare at the wounded wolf pup. It is almost the same as height as him and as big as he is with snow white fur and black spot at the top of its head. It is also bleeding heavily judging by the blood that stained its white fur.

"Awesome! The story about this island is true. You're huge, even though you just a pup or you're already a wolf?"

It growled at him as he chattered and whine pitifully when its effort cause the wounded on its neck to throbbed judging by the flow of blood on grass. Noticing it, Luffy extends his right hand, pup growling at him with its fur standing on end.

"Here, here." Luffy coos. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I don't have the heart to eat you either, your mama must be looking for you. And I'm not gonna take you away either, Nami gonna kill me."

Sighing heavily, Luffy don't know what to do, Chopper's not here and the Sunny was miles back. If he didn't tampered at least the wound, the pup didn't have a chance to survive and he don't want to use his Haki to knock the pup out, the poor animal is already bleeding heavily.

Thoughts crossing his mind, Luffy lowers his head and didn't make an eye contact to the wolf pup.

 _Sign of submission_.

Stone shifting, he feels the fur of the wolf making contact with his hand and laid there, breathing heavily. Smiling to himself, he gingerly lift the body to his arms, grunting because of the extra weight and stand up slowly and continued to the trail where he heard a flowing water to clean up the wound.

"Sorry," Luffy started to say, petting the pup's head, not caring if blood of the wounded animal were sipping on his clothes. "If Chopper's with me, he gonna fix you right away." At the name Chopper, the pup whine. "Oh, he's our doctor. He's a reindeer and he ate a devil fruit and can transform to human and he can understand animal like you. He's great, you gonna love him."

After several trees, he hear the water splashing against the rock. Following the sound, he burst through the clearing with large tree surrounding it with little river flowing in the middle. Little flickers of sunlight reflected on the water surface with the trees proving the shades.

"Huh, it small. Why do I hear it miles away?" Luffy tilted his head, walking to the river bank. Sitting to the side of river and laying the pup down, he tore at his cardigan and dip the piece of fabric to the water and wipe at the blood coating the fur.

He repeat this process several times until the once white fur coated with blood become just dirty white and use the handkerchief he found at his pocket to tie at the wounds to tamper the future bleeding. By this point, the pup were already sleeping.

"Argh, they gonna kill me. I'd tore my clothes and Nami not gonna be happy. She said don't get in trouble."

He just let the wolf pup sleep and laid himself, curling around pup and softly petting the head. He smiled when the wolf pup leaned to his touch and move its head next to his. Lull by the soft breathing of the small animal, wind caressing his skin and the shade of the tress, Luffy fall asleep in dreamless sleep, not noticing the several large shadows surrounding the large clearing.

xxxx

Chopper was starting to get dizzy.

After playing with Usopp and napping with Zoro, he wakes up with the sun going down without Luffy's voice to pester them. And Zoro were pacing the lawn deck for like an hour already and it is not just Chopper that starting to get dizzy from the repetitive action.

"Zoro, will you please stop pacing? Luffy's fine!" Nami snapped from the lawn deck chair, sipping the drink that was prepared by Sanji.

"He leave as the same you leave the ship and still not here." Zoro growled, looking at the opening of the jungle. "You know that no matter how interesting the island is, he _always_ came back before dinner."

"Do you think he's fine?" Usopp said fearfully. "He must eaten by the large bear we saw earlier."

"Luffy got eaten?!" Chopper shrieked, eyes bulging out.

"Yohohoho! It seems impossible, remember he's our captain and he knocked the kraken out."

"Oh, you're right!" Usopp and Chopper said together, relief clears in their voice.

"He may be torn to bits. After all, it's impossible to fight the horde of large animals." Robin said calmly, freaking the younger members out.

"Robin, you shouldn't scare them." Nami scolded the older woman.

Robin just chuckled.

After pacing some more, Zoro had enough. "That's it, I'm leaving." He said, jumping off the ship.

"Zoro-kun! You're going to get lost!" Usopp calls out, but Zoro were already gone.

"Jeez, troublesome captain and first mate. Let's go." Nami said, standing up from her chair.

"We're going, too?" Chopper and Usopp asked, shaking together.

"Of course." Nami smiled at them sweetly. "Our captain just got himself in trouble and must be wounded, right Chopper?"

Chopper nodded eagerly, fear momentarily forgotten. "Let's go!" Fist pumping, he also jumped off the ship.

Robin also stand up.

"You, too, Robin?" Usopp asked in disbelief.

"Of course. I think I'm gonna saw something interesting." Robin said with mysterious smile.

"What that's supposed to mean?" Usopp asked, getting scared.

Sanji used this time to come out the kitchen. "Beautiful ladies, its dinner time. And rest of you shit- Oh where are you going my beautiful swans?!"

"Oh, we're going to find Sencho." Robin smiled.

"Oh, I'm going too! I can't leave my ladies on dangerous island at night!" Sanji coos, noodling to the railings.

"But, what about food, Sanji?" Usopp asked. As long as he knows Sanji, he didn't let the foods gets cold.

"Sencho comes first, Usopp." Sanji said seriously, lighting a cigarette.

Usopp gulped, the situation must be serious. "Okay! The Captain Usopp-sama gonna guard the ship!"

"Are you sure, Usopp-san?" Brook asked from the shoreline, beside him were Franky.

"Are you all going?!" Usopp shrieked. "Me too! I'm not exclude myself from rescuing our captain!"

With that, the band of pirates began a trekked in finding their missing captain. At some point, they saw Zoro who burst through the bush, scaring Usopp, Chopper and Brook, in which caused Nami to hit Zoro upside the head.

"Where do you think he is?" Usopp asked, shaking despite himself. But truth to himself, he quiet mesmerized by the sight before him. There's a lot of fireflies circling every tree providing a light with the shine of moon giving the forest a fairy aura.

"Beautiful." Robin said, mesmerized herself.

After walking miles away from the ship, Chopper suddenly stop causing Usopp, Nami, and Brook to trip.

"The hell?!" Usopp groaned, rubbing his nose.

"What's the matter, Chopper?" Nami asked, standing up with the help of Sanji and clean up herself up.

"I smell blood." Chopper said distractedly, nose twitching.

"Blood?!" All repeated, sans Robin.

"Yeah, but it's not Luffy's." At those words, the relief were palpable.

Changing to his Walking Point, he follow the scent of blood with unique scent of sea and sun, Luffy in his mind, crewmates following behind him. After several cursing, redirecting Zoro because he kept on wandering off on his own, they burst through the clearing and saw the most amazing sight before them.

Because at the center of the large clearing were various large animals from bear, snow white wolf, lion, tiger, snakes and small birds flying everywhere. They're illuminated by the moon and the large number of fireflies circling the leaves of trees surrounding the large clearing. At the center of it is Luffy, who were somehow talking to the large wolf at his side.

"What the hell?!" Sanji exclaimed, somehow freak out.

"Yohohoho." Brook sang.

"Luffy is the only person I know who gonna befriend the animals in the jungle." Zoro muttered, staring at his captain who giggling because the much smaller wolf were nuzzling him.

Chopper just continued to stared, hearing the faint conversation of animals and the answer Luffy provided. He realized with widen eyes that Luffy somehow understand the animals and talking to them.

"Oh, my." Robin stated, mysterious smile in place. "What a splendid sight."

Nami just shook her head with a smile.

"Ah, guys?!" Usopp said hesitatingly.

"Oh, that's not super." Franky winced at the glared they were getting from the animals, obviously pissed off at being disturbed.

Sensing the suddenly hostile atmosphere, Luffy glanced up and saw them. The smile he gave them were worth the effort of finding him because it is the smile of home and love.

"At ease." Luffy command, shushing the animals that was either growling or hissing at his nakama.

They back down immediately.

Smiling, he pick his hat that was circled by large python who giving it a wide berth.

Standing up, he walk to the path the animal cleared for him, smiling at Zoro who stepped forward to welcome him home.

They met in the middle and Zoro hugged him close to his chest, "Welcome home, Jungle Boy."

"Shishishishi, amazing, isn't?" Luffy asked, eyes twinkling. "I fell asleep after I'd help this wolf pup and when I'd woke up I was surrounded by them."

"Surrounded?" Sanji asked, walking forward with the rest of his nakama to where Luffy and Zoro were standing.

"It is not like you be surrounded by them unaware." Nami pointed out.

"Oh, they meant no harm." Luffy assured her, waving his hand dismissively.

"Right." Usopp said sarcastically, eyeing the large bear at the middle. "They freaking tower over you."

"You're being silly, Usopp." Luffy said, not caring or noticing the nervous edge on his sniper's voice. "They're good."

And they noticed the animals lowering their heads by the compliment. Several birds coos at Luffy.

"See? Oh! Oh! Chopper!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, lifting the small doctor. "I have a patient for you!"

Waving the other forward, Zoro at his side, Chopper in his arms, they walked through the cluster of wildlife and sat by the pup he saved earlier and the large white wolf who he was discovered were the Alpha.

"He was injured, Chopper." Luffy said, settling down and gesturing the other to do the same. He petted the wolf pup when it gave a whine of distress. "Shh, it's okay. He's Chopper, the one I'm telling you about."

Chopper noticing the distress and pain, also began to talk to the wounded pup.

Zoro lay on the tiger by right side of the wolf alpha and promptly fell asleep.

"Geez, Zoro just can sleep everywhere." Usopp said, staring at the swordsman who were somehow comfortable by the new arrangement.

"It is interesting." Robin said, eyeing the other animals who were giving them a space but several were batting their head on Luffy's who just laughed and petted them.

"They're somehow attractive to him." Franky observed.

Brook began a music that was accompanied by several song bird.

"When are we going to leave?" Sanji asked, thinking about the newly prepared food back at Sunny.

"Well, after Chopper fixed whatever Luffy asked him to fix." Nami said, petting a small cab who were lying next to her and actually didn't mind.

Several minutes pass by, several animals give them fruits to eat. Getting an apple himself, Luffy flop himself down next to Zoro and shook him awake.

"Zoro~"

With a groaned, Zoro hugged Luffy to himself and rolled over to the other side. He shake himself awake when his hands met a fur and heard a purr. Looking up, Zoro noticed the large tiger with orange and black strips.

"And I thought I was dreaming." Zoro groaned out, nuzzling his face to the juncture of Luffy's neck.

"About what?" Luffy asked, carding his fingers through his first mate's short green hair.

"That you became a jungle boy."

"I'm not a jungle boy." Luffy said, pouting.

"Yes, you are."

"Are not."

"You are."

"Are not."

"Yes, you are and shut up. Just accept it."

Luffy just pouted and hugged his swordsman tighter.

The words _'I love you's'_ floated in the air without being said. It is always like this, without words, without uttering the words because they didn't need to be said. It is hidden in their kisses, hugs, gazed and touch. And that things they loved the most.

They stayed like that for a several minutes, not talking and just enjoy each other's company. For Zoro, the quiet time between was the thing he enjoy the most, especially with Luffy's boisterous attitude and spirit. But of course, the quiet moment were always short. With kick to Zoro's leg, Sanji said, "Oi, shitty rubber and marimo, Chopper done already."

Yahoo!" With a shout, Luffy shot toward the young doctor and check the injury himself.

Bondage and sleeping. With a nod, he turned toward the Alpha.

"We're going already." Luffy said, touching the muzzle of the big wolf. Its towers over him and it had same color of the younger wolf with a golden slit eyes. It whine and dropped its head.

Luffy smiled widely and petted the head. "Don't worry, we're going see each other again."

It stared to his eyes and he said seriously. "I promise."

"Hurry, Luffy!" Nami calls out, already at the opening of the clearing. With a smile and a wave, Luffy darts toward his nakama.

They were almost at the shore when Robin asked the question that has been on her mind since she saw the interaction between Luffy and the animals in the jungle.

"Sencho," Robin called.

"Na?" Luffy turned his head and looked at her. Zoro have his right arm around his captain in case he trips.

"How do you understand what the animals were saying?"

Luffy tilted his head and turned to look at the road again, his left arm snaking around Zoro.

"I really don't know." Luffy replied finally. "I just heard voices in my head and somehow I know it's them."

By these time, the rest of the crew were already bustling around and joking so they didn't hear Luffy's answer but Robin heard it perfectly clear.

"I see." Robin said softly.

Luffy just smiled and began to talk to Zoro about the neat thing he saw earlier, unaware of the thoughts of his archaeologist.

 _'Voice of all things.'_ Robin thought, smile creeping on her lips.

 _~Owari~_

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A/N: Haller. After a year of absentee, I'm here again. Thank you for your time! :)


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